SEN Teaching Assistant - Pensans Community Primary School

About The Role:

Required from Autumn Term 2025

Pensans Community Primary School and ARB is seeking to appoint a SEN Teaching Assistant to join our committed team at our vibrant and forward-thinking school.

We aim to recruit an enthusiastic SEN Teaching Assistant with a genuine passion for working with young people with special educational needs. This is a diverse role that will see you working alongside the Headteacher, SENDCO, ARB Lead, and Nurture Group Class Teacher. The role supports pupils across the full primary age range, both within our Nurture Group and ARB (Area Resource Base).

Inclusive practices are at the heart of all that we do here at Pensans School. All successful candidates will have high expectations and strong skills in positive behaviour management. This will underpin their practice, alongside being a nurturing, caring person who can support individual needs. Applicants must have previous experience of working in a primary classroom setting with children who have additional needs.

We are looking for that special person with a wide range of practical skills. Forest School is a weekly event for our pupils, and we love to incorporate outdoor learning and real-life experiences into our curriculum. We have amazing grounds and make the most of them wherever possible.

About You:

In this role, life skills and hands-on experiences are key. Whether it’s helping pupils learn through cooking, gardening, teamwork projects, or taking part in local community visits, we aim to equip our children with the confidence and resilience they need to thrive. A full driving licence and the ability to drive the school minibus would be a valuable asset, as we regularly take pupils off-site for enrichment and life skills learning. Being able to support and lead small group trips into the community is an important part of this role.

Candidates should have experience of working with children with communication and interaction needs. They must be strong team players and will need to be effective communicators, as the role entails working closely with parents and outside agencies, as well as with other staff members and children. It is essential that they are able to follow and adapt planning to meet individual needs, assess outcomes, and identify next steps in partnership with the class teacher.

When writing your application, please refer to the essential and desirable criteria in the applicant’s pack.

If you feel you have the qualities to make a difference to the lives of our children, we would very much like to hear from you.

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Mrs Niki Ambrose – Headteacher (nambrose@pensans.tpacademytrust.org).

Benefits of Working with Us:

As a leading Academy Trust, we are able to offer our staff a range of continued professional development opportunities alongside family friendly policies and access to the Local Government/Teachers Pension Schemes. More on our benefits can be found here. 

How to Apply and Further Info:

To apply for this position please email a completed application form to recruitment@tpacademytrust.org, please ensure your name and the position you are applying are within the subject title of the email.

Please note we do not accept CV's.

The closing date for receiving applications is: Sunday 6th July 2025 11.59pm

If you wish to discuss this position ahead of applying, please contact Niki Ambrose on 01736 363627

Interviews to be held on Friday 11th July 2025

TPAT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.

Successful candidates will be required to complete an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) application as part of their pre-employment administration. The amendments to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (2013 and 2020) provide that when applying for certain jobs and activities, certain convictions and cautions are considered ‘protected’. This means that they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Other pre-employment checks will include receipt of two satisfactory references, evidence of right to work in the UK, proof of any relevant qualifications and completion of a health assessment questionnaire.